Army Football entails the notion that one is not merely playing the football game, however, each players performs in teams and the notion holds values such as strength, harmony, resilience and the West Point. Army Football has been around for several years – in fact for over a century today, after its establishment in the last 1800s. That has brought national championships, Heisman Trophy recipients, and some of the most heated rivalries, none more so than Navy, to Army-Navy games. In this article, the author explains what Army Football is and how it originated, but also how it is an active and competitive tradition within Army sports.
Army Football A Storied History
Army football as known started in the year 1890 and therefore constitutes among the most elite of football club teams not only in the United States but across the globe. The team quickly gained recognition as a force to reckon with and boasting of an early twentieth century accomplishment boasting of some undefeated seasons and national championships. Using the successes of World War II, the Army Football Program reached their peak in the 1940’s with the leadership of coach Earl “Red” Blaik.
At this pinnacle, Army Football owed the title of the winner of the most popular national college football championships in 1944, 1945, and 1946. Two rookies unfamiliar with the bigger picture such as Felix “Doc” Blanchard and Glenn Davis went on to win Heismans in 1945 and 1946. Its participants, these players and the teams, performed at their best in all the football games; they as well illustrated leadership as well as determination which are attributes accredited to the West Point.
The Army-Navy Game: An Age-Old Rivalry
While as much as is expected of Army Football, the Army-Navy Game deserves the mention needed because of the importance of Army and Navy Football encounter. The winner of the Michigan-Ohio State game is often ask which team is better in this annual classic among college football’s most eagerly await games. Soccer has been played since 1890 and evolved over time to become even a national event patting itself with traditions and military pride. This football event brings millions of viewers including fans, alumni and members of the armed forces each season with the majority of them considering the game to be a reflection of rivalry between two branches of the United States military.
The playing rivalry is firmly established and the battle on the field is always very spirit weather the team’s form within that match. In addition to bragging rights, the winner qualifies for the “Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy”, a silver trophy awarded to any military academy that defeats the other two academies, that of Navy and Air force within that particular season. The Army Football team has risen to power in recent years proving it by clinching the Commander-in-Chief trophy a number of times after 2017, which shows that the program has bounced back.
Core Values: Discipline Honor and Teamwork
This is where the Army Football program is unlike any other program, not just a football team, but also has standards beyond that. These players are first of all cadets, and secondly – football players. Ideally, every member of the Army team is in training for a future as a leader in the United States Army. This dual responsibility for the sport as both a game and means of creating disciplined and team orientated, willing to serve and go the extra mile athletes paints volleyball in a rather appealing light.
The training schedules of the team are tough since they organize both academic work and military exercise. This creates a culture of hard work which is apparent with the kind of football that the team demonstrates. Resilliance is key and Army Football epitomizes this in action.
The motto that can be seen throughout this Army Football video is ‘never quit.’ All these qualities are well display in the teams option offense that is mostly a form of offense that is high on accuracy, timing and set plays.
The Option Offense: Army’s Signature Style
The Army Football team offense has only been associate with one famous triple option offense that focuses more on the ground games by making strict and rigid movements than the flamboyant passes. The military academy has been conservative in its approach to the game in what could be argue as daring in today’s world: Army would rather grind away with its ground-and-pound offense, chew up the clock, and prevent powerful offenses from getting going.
The triple option offense actually involves three possibility of bearers; the quarterback, the fullback as well as the running back who may perform in several ways in response to the reaction of the opposite team. This system requires and reward precision and hardness, for the blockers need to get their blocks just right and the quarterback needs to analyze quickly. Despite the fact this approach seems somewhat traditional in today’s athletic college football, it has been rather beneficial for Army.
By sticking to the triple-option offense, Army Football has been able to perf orm against much larger competition and actually win games though the team is usually outmatch. It is very much in line with some of the core suggestions on this team when it comes to discipline, effort and hard work that should never be miss.
Army Football recent success story
Since 2014 Army Football is on the rise under the leadership of head coach Jeff Monken. This season Monken is taking Army to another level bringing it back to the national stage with several winning seasons. However, the 2017 team played and won nine games in the field, won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, and top it off by winning the Armed Forces Bowl consecutively.
Carry over of success to the subsequent subsequent year was realize when the Army’s completed the 2018 season with an 11-2 record- a record for the Army program. That year Army beat Navy for the third year in a row and dominated Houston 70-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Army has been generally good under Monken and particularly good in bowl games and rivalry games. Discipline and a bizarre attacking formation have enabled the team to succeed especially against the best competition, to demonstrate that Army Football can play at the BCS level.
Life After Army Football: Preparing for Leadership
More significantly, what a great Army football program is distinguish by is the quality of life the players experience in the course of their post college life. All the players of the Army Football have to be a cadet at the United States Military Academy and therefore must be commission officers in the U.S. Army after completing their studies. This path is very challenging because the players are not only expect to attend regular classes, military training and practice Division I football, all at once.
The things that Army Football players learn is not just about leadership but a lifetime experience of it. These values gained on the football field: discipline, coordination, and responsibility, would be useful when the students become officers of the United States of America military. This dual commitment makes Army Football players understand and appreciate a higher power above achieving and striving to be a winner.
Conclusion
The Army Football is not only the football program of the United States Military Academy; it represents what Army is all about. Break it down: a preview of Army Football through memories of its greatness, legendary players, the great Navy game, and a new beginning. While operating, the program will strive to deliver success in the playing field and other aspects of academic life show that Army Football will remain invulnerable to the ever-changing landscape of collegiate football for years to come.